Circular-knitting machine



M. C. MILLER. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, I911.

.MAX C. MILLER, 01: CUMBERLAND HILL,

anonn ISLAND, ASSIGNOR em :nncxns.

KNITTING MACHINEOOMPANY, or raw'rucxn'r, nnonn ISLAND, A oonronn.

'IION OF RHODE ISLAND.

omouLnn-Km'rrme MACHINE.

Application filed July 2,193.7. Serial No. 178,196.

To allwhmnitmay concern: a

Be it known that I, MAX C. MILLER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, resid ing at CumberlandHill, in the county of Cumberland andState of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improve- -ments in'Circular-Knitting Machines; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,.and exact-description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to circular knitting machines such as are adapted for use in knitting seamless stockings or half hose.

The object of the invention is to improve and simplif the construction and mode of operation 0 the needle actuating cams and pickers. 'To that end one feature of theinvention contemplates so mountin the two stitch cams which act alternate y on the needles during reciprocatory knitting, that they may move vertically into and out of the path of the needle butts, the needle butts 'passin over one cam and into engagement with t e other camduringth knittingin each direction. This construction and mode of operation enables the knitting waves to be formed in proper relation to the yarn guide during both rotary and reciprocatory knitting, without the use of the usual center or switch cam for directing the needle butts down into the path of the stitch cams, and also permits the yarn guide to be located at a higher point, thus securing a better lead of the yarn to the knitting point. It also enables a single double-acting lifting picker to be arranged between the stitch cams in position to act upon the leading needle in the active series during the travel of the needle cylinder or the cam cylinder ineach direction. This is a further feature of the invention, which contributes to the simplicity of the machine and its uniform and eflicient operation.

In addition to the features outlined above, the invention includes certain further novel features of constructionand combinations of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

The various features'of the invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the follow- Specification of Letters Patent.

ing detailed description of the mechanism illustrated therein.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing so much of a knitting machin as is necessary to illustrate theapplication of a preferred form of the invention thereto; F 1g. 2 1s a sectlonal detail on line 2, Fig. 1;

Patented Apr." 5, 192.1. d i

and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the inside of the knitting cams and the-parts associated therewith. i

In the drawings the invention is shown as embodied in a machine in which the needles 2 are'mounted on a rotary needle cyl- 1nder4, which may be rotated, and reciprocated in the usual manner by any suitable or c a o dles, which are not. actlve during IGGlPI'OCit-n tory knittlng on the heel and toe, are prowell-known mechanism. The instep vided with long butts, while the needles which are active during reciprocatory knitt1ng are provided with short butts,-'as is usual in this class of machines. .The came for forming the knitting waves in the needles during rotary and reciprocatory knit-- ting comprisetwostitch cams",6 and 8 for drawing the needles to the knockover level,

- and two cooperating needle-raising cams 10 and 12 for ralsing the'nedlessgtoj the.

tuck level. A lower center cam plate 14 is arranged between the stitch cams, and is provlded with inclined edges underlying the needle depressing surfaces of the stitch cams and cooperating therewith to form needle passages which determine the path of movement' of the needle butts. The stitch cams are so mounted that they may move vertically across the path of the needle butts, each cam when in its raised or'acti've position cooperating withthe corresponding needle raising cam and with the inclined edge of the center cam plate to form needle passages through which the needle butts are directed to form" a knitting wave'on one side or the other of the yarn guide through which the yarn leads to the knitting wave. When either stitch cam is in its lower or depressed position, the needle passages are closed and the needle butts pass up overthe back of this cam to the. clear level and into engagement with the active stitch cam. The vertically movable stitch cams are preferably mounted so that they may yield vertically and may be rendered alternately inactive, during the reciprocation of the needle cylinder by the engagement of theneedle butts during their relative backward travel over the backs of the cams. In order that the needle butts may act as the means for alternately depressing the stitch cams, cover cam plates 16 and 18 are arranged over the stitch cams in such position that a passage for the needle butts is formed when the corresponding stitch cam is in its depressed position, this passagebeing closed by the upper end of 'the cover cam 16. The vertical position of the stitch cam may be determined by a stop screw 26 which may be adjusted to accurately position the stitch cam and determine the point to which the needles are drawn in forming the stitch. The stitch cam 8 is similarly mounted and supported. The sup-- port 22 for the stitch cam 6 is preferably so mounted that it may be moved radially to withdraw the stitch cam from the path of the needle butts so that the needles may be leveled for transfer work. As shown, the

support 22 is in the form of a slide mounted to move radially on a' guide plate 28 secured to the base plate 30. The support is retained on the guide plate by a retaining screw 32 which passes through a slot in the base of the support and is provided with a head ovelying the upper surface ofthebase. The support may be moved radially by the operator, or it may be moved. automatically through a bell crank lever. 34 connected through a link 36 with any suitable operat-.

ing or pattern-controlled mechanism. The support for the stitch cam 8 may also be mounted for radial movement, and may be moved either manually or automatically through similar mechanisms.

During rotary knitting the needle cylinder may travel from right to left, Fig. 4, and the needle butts, in passing between the stitch cam 8 and the cover cam 18, will retain this stitch cam in its depressed position. After passing over the back .of the stitch cam 8 to the clear level the needle butts will engage the front or active faceof the stitch cams 6, will be directed by this cam down through the needle passage between the stitch cam and the center cam 14, and will then pass up through the needle passage between the stitch cam and the needle-raising cam 10 into the tuck level. knitting the series of active needles will travel through the same path during the During reciprocatory.

forward stroke of the needle cylinder. During the return stroke the butts of the leading active needles will engage the back of the stitch cam 6, and in passing between this cam and the cover cam 16 will depress the" stitch cam; into inactive position, thus opening the needle passage between the cover cam and stitch cam for the suceeding needles, the cam being held in its inactive position by the following series of needle butts. After the needle butts have passed the cam 6 they will engage the forward'or active face of the stitch cam 8, which is now in raised or active position, having immediately moved: into this position after the needle butts at the end of the active seriespass over it during the forward stroke of the needle -cylinder.. The needle butts will therefore pass downward through the needle passage between the stitch cam 8 and the edge of the center cam '14, and upward.

through the needle passage between the stitch cam and the needle raising'cam 12 into the tuck level. On the next forward stroke of the needle cylinder the needle butts will act'and be acted upon in a similar manner by the cams, the cam 8being again depressed and the cam 6 remaining in active position. formed alternately on opposite sides of the yarn guide through which the yarn is led to the needles, without the use of the usual upper center or switch cam for directing the needle butts, down into the path of each stitch cam after it has passed over the other stitch cam. The stitch cams may therefore draw the needles down from the clear level, thus .permitting the yarn guide to be The knitting waves are thus located at a higher point, and the yarn to stitch cams, and is provided on opposite sides with notches for engaging a single needle butt. In the construction shown the picker comprises a radially arranged arm 40, the inner end of which is notched to form the picker proper, and is arranged to he immediately outside the upper ed e of the center cam 14, with the vertical s oulders of the picker notches in the path of the needle butts, and with the horizontal shoulders of the notches underlying the path of the needle butts, The inner end of the picker is supported in this position by a depression 42 of a double cam 44 which extends in an n wardly inclined path on opposite sides of t e depression 42, and acts to raise the picker as it is moved from the depression 42 in either direction by engagement therewith of the .needle butts.

As the picker moves upward in either direc tively,

tion it carries with it the needle butt engaging its vertical shoulder and deposits the needle butt on the inclined end of the corresponding cover cam plate 16 or 18 which forms a lifting cam 46 for continuing or completing the upward movement of the needle into the inactive series. The picker is so mounted that as it travels upward along the inclined surface of the cam 44 it passes back of the lifting cam46, so that the needle butt is disengaged from the picker by the cam, thus freeing the picker so that it may slide down the 02111144 and ride on the tops of the-needle butts until the active series has passed, when it will immediately drop into the depression 42 ready to engage the leading needle butt during the stroke of the needle cylinder in the opposite direction. In order that the picker may move both vertically and laterally as required, the picker arm 40 is connected by a horizontal pivot pin'48 to the upper end of a vertical post 50 which is mounted to rotate about a vertical pivot 52. A spring 54 which is connected to the picker arm and to a point on the base plate 24 verticalgy under the arm when the picker is in its mi position, tends to return the picker to this position when it is moved therefrom in either direction by the needle butts; During rotary knitting the picker may be allowed to ride idly on the tops of the nee dle butts, or it may be thrown into inactive position through a link 56' operated through any suitable automatic controlling mechanism and connected with the pivot post 50 of the picker by an arm 58 carrying a .pin 60 which engages a slot in the end of the link. 4

The cams for raising, the long butt needles into the inactive level, and for returning the inactive needles to the actlve level at the beginning and endof reclprocatory knitting, are indicated at 98 and 100. They are mounted on arms 102 a d 104 respe and are held normally in their inactive positions by springs 106 and 108. The

needle elevating cam 98 may be swung into active position through an arm 110 which may be operated through any suitable con trolling mechanism, and the inner or active position of the cam may be accurately determined by an adjustable stop screw 112 mounted in the arm and arranged to engage a fixed stop 114 on the base plate 24.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown andFdescribed, particularly in embodying the invention in'a rotary needle machine, 1t will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential, but may be varied or modified as found desirable or best suited to the construction and mode of operation of the machine in which it is to be embodied.

Having explained the natureand object of the invention, and specifically described one form of machine in which it may be embodied, what is claimed is 1. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, two vertically yielding stitch cams, cover cams forming therewith needle passages which are alternately opened by the needle butts as they pass over the backs of the stitch cams, and a single double-acting picker arranged between the stitch cams. 2. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, two vertically movable stitch cams, cover cams forming therewith needle passages which are alternately openedby the needle butts as they pass over the backs of the stitch cams, and single double-acting picker and needle raising cams on to which the needle butts are deposited by the picker.

3. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, two stitch cams vertically movable across the needle path to act alternately on the needles during reciprocatory knitting, and means whereby one of the cams ally out of and into the needle ath.

MAX C. LLER. 

